Twenty One is not a long life. Certainly, too young to die. Yet as Tuti Anania and her friend Pendo made their way home from a home group, that is just what happened. Tahnya and I were deeply saddened to hear that a public transport vehicle missed a turn, lost control, and plowed into our beautiful young friend. Three people lost their lives, 2 of them from our church, The Ocean International Community Church in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

We often have told people that in the life of following Christ, our reward would be in heaven, your reward would be in heaven. And vaguely, if we examine the logic, we know that that reward is not material goods. Who needs stuff when the streets are made of gold, right? Our reward is the lives of those who go with us to eternity. The lives that together we invested in. The funny part is that we expect them not to precede but to follow us.

We were reminded once again of how frail life is, and the difference our choices make. Tuti was a devoted follower of Jesus. She was concerned about her generation, about the young people of Tanzania. We were privileged, because of your prayer and financial support, to be able to invest in her life for a few short years. Now, when I say “your reward is in heaven,” to me that reward has a name and a face. Tuti Anania.

Thanks for investing, praying and believing in the work of Jesus in Africa, through ministries like the Ocean, so that young people like Tuti get a chance to hear of Jesus, grow in their faith, or like Tuti, serve the Kingdom with a beautiful heart.